It's Thanksgiving week, putting the holiday season in full swing. We have a lot to be thankful for so we'll kick off the week with a few things we think are worth noting.

Tornado cleanup: Wrestlers from East High School gave up their weekend to go to Washington, Ill., to help clean up after tornadoes and severe weather that devastated the area Nov. 17.

Washington, a city in Tazewell County about 135 miles south of Rockford, has about 15,000 residents. One person in Washington died and about 120 were injured during the storms that destroyed entire neighborhoods. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency says 1,484 homes were either destroyed or have major damage. Obviously, any help is appreciated.

There is a personal connection: East wrestling coach Gene Lee is a friend of the Washington High School head wrestling coach. Lee's team wanted to help and show their support for their Washington counterparts.

It's wonderful to see young people step up to help out in these efforts. The next generation of leaders seems to be well on their way.

Kudos also to Liebovich Steel and Aluminum Co. in Rockford for donating work gloves for the wrestlers.

The East wrestlers aren't the only ones from here to help out downstate. Twenty volunteers from Rockford First church arrived in Peoria early Thursday. There are also volunteers from the American Red Cross Rock River Chapter on the scene.

We wouldn't be surprised if there are others from the Rock River Valley who are helping out in storm-ravaged areas. We're sure the residents of Washington are thankful for your help.

We've written before that the generosity of people around here truly is amazing. People not only open up their wallets for worthy causes, they get their hands dirty when they have to. That's the kind of spirit that eventually will transform Rockford into one of the best cities in the nation.

Jail population down: The number of inmates in the Winnebago County Jail was at 891 Thursday, the first time the population has dipped below 900 since December 2010. The jail population had been about 1,000 or more for most of 2012.

More efficient courtrooms have been credited with getting people out of jail and on to their final destination whether it be prison or freedom. Remember, most of the people in jail haven't been convicted of anything; they're awaiting trial. Getting them through the system more quickly not only is fair, but it's cost efficient. It costs about $75 a day to keep a person locked up in Winnebago County, money we'd prefer was spent preventing crime.

A declining jail population is welcome news and was one of the 10 headlines we wanted to see in 2013. The other items on that list have not fared as well.

Page 2 of 2 - More jobs: Because it's that time of year, we're thankful that 10,300 jobs were added in Illinois in September and 15,400 more in October. We won't dwell on the fact that Illinois' unemployment rate, although down a bit, is 8.9 percent, well above the national average of 7.3 percent.